Why can't a population grow forever? Run four real cases and find out what holds each one back.
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These are models. Real populations also go up and down with weather, disease and luck. The models leave those out so every run gives the same answer. The reindeer model is tuned to the real island counts; the pond, tank and life-strategy numbers are made up to show the patterns. Environmental Science, Chapter 5, Lesson 5.3: What Limits the Growth of Populations?